


talisman.

by revered



Series: #00FFTOBER [1]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Light Angst, M/M, Mutual Pining, Nahyuck, Royalty AU, forbidden relationship, king donghyuck, they're both whipped
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-07
Updated: 2019-10-07
Packaged: 2020-11-26 14:20:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,368
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20931629
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/revered/pseuds/revered
Summary: jaemin is the palace jeweler, known for making talismans for the whole family. this time, he's told to make one for soon-to-be king donghyuck's coronation. this should be easy. since, you know, they're dating. in private.for day 6 of #00FFTOBER.





	talisman.

“son, where are you headed?”

“i’m just going to check on my talisman’s progress, father. i’ll be back shortly.”

the king nods, and donghyuck makes his way to the west wing of the castle. he descends the rugged steps with ease, running his fingers along the cold stony wall. when he reaches the crafter’s chamber, he comes across a small box on a table. just as he reaches to lift the lid, he hears a voice from the shadows.

“not so fast, your majesty. there’s still a week left.”

donghyuck grins as a figure emerges from behind a shelf. jaemin picks up the carved box and tucks it into the pocket of his ripped overalls.

“at least give me a hint, jaemin. tell me something you like about it.” jaemin pauses. “it has your mother’s jewel.”

donghyuck’s mother, the queen. loved and admired for her abilities as a ruler, her son remembered how regal she looked on her throne, emerald eyes sparkling. her death was a mystery to all but the royal family of the neighboring kingdom, she was supposedly poisoned on a visit to their castle. donghyuck was the most important thing in her life; regardless of how important an event was, she could always skip it for him. naturally, her death hit him the hardest in the family. he had locked himself in his room for roughly two weeks, and jaemin had been forced to drag him back to the outside world. in her honour, the city had been decorated in emerald green, and jaemin knew donghyuck would be devastated if he missed it.

donghyuck snaps back to reality and looks up to see jaemin already peering at him in curiosity. “it’s perfect”, he breathes. “thank you so much.” jaemin smiles softly. the whole castle could see how much donghyuck loved and looked up to his mother, and how much it affected him when she passed. jaemin thought that since his mother couldn’t be there to watch him, his gift should have a little part of her. “of course,” he whispers.

donghyuck starts to make his way to the stairs. “i should go, my dad’s gonna wonder why i’ve been gone so long.” of course, donghyuck wouldn’t want the king to be suspicious of them. he wouldn’t like it if the prince was gay  _ and _ dating a non-royal. absolutely not. so they’re not together, might never be. plain and simple. “okay. i’ll see you in a week.” as soon as he’s out of donghyuck’s view, jaemin leans his head against a wall, closing his eyes. it’s the tension and the things left unsaid that hurt the most.

one week later, donghyuck sees jaemin again.

“you excited?”

donghyuck thinks about it. “seeing you in a uniform and the talisman? hell yeah. taking on the whole kingdom? absolutely not.” jaemin grins and fixes the soon-to-be king’s lapels.

“you’ll be the best king this place will ever see. everybody out there loves you already. i believe in you.” donghyuck chuckles. “you might just be the only one who does. i’m scared, jaemin. everyone can see it.”

“so let them see it. bring the kingdom everything you have to offer. frankly, they need it.”

donghyuck takes a step towards jaemin, bringing his hands up to cup his face. slowly, he slots their lips together, and for just a rare moment they get to enjoy the feeling. as always, they’re interrupted by a soft knock. jaemin pulls away, squeezing donghyuck’s hands before calling, “come in.”

a small maid comes in, bowing her head slightly at donghyuck. “your royal highness, the king would like you in the ballroom in 5 minutes. the ceremony is about to begin.” the prince nods. “thank you, i’ll be down soon.” the maid closes the door behind her and jaemin says, “at least you can finally see the talisman.”

“that’s true. i can’t wait.” he glances at the clock on the wall. “i should get going though. i’ll see you in a bit.” jaemin nods and exits the room as well, leaving donghyuck to take a deep breath and start to walk to the ballroom.

when he enters through the grand doors, all eyes land on him and the room goes silent. that doesn’t help his nerves at all. he catches his father’s eye and the king beckons him to the front of the room. the crowd parts for him, everyone dropping into a deep bow or curtsy to the prince on his coronation day. he walks up carpeted steps to stand next to his father, who rises from his throne to address the crowd of royals from across the world. “thank you all for joining our family today on this day. as you all know, today my son, prince donghyuck, will be receiving his talisman and will become king. i will be stepping down and putting the kingdom in his reliable control.” he looks to where jaemin is standing, ready to hand the traditional item to donghyuck. “jaemin,” the king murmurs, “please present his majesty with the talisman.” donghyuck holds his breath, watching as jaemin nods and begins to walk up the stairs. when they make eye contact at the top of the stairs, jaemin smiles warmly but briefly, as they’re in front of the king. he takes a knee and lifts the lid of the box, holding it out to the king-to-be. donghyuck freezes for a moment. he takes the silver ring with shaking hands, mind racing. it’s gorgeous, anyone can see. it’s about a centimetre wide at the front, half of that at the back. it’s not too thick, and intricate designs run along it in two bands. between them are small pieces of emeralds that seem to glow when the light hits them at the right angle.

when he looks at jaemin again, he’s slowly rising from the ground, looking at his shoes; but donghyuck still catches a small smirk. he slips the ring onto his left middle finger and turns to face his father. he’s barely paying attention for the rest of the ceremony; only speaking his promises for the kingdom and gratitude towards the guests for coming. as soon as he can squeeze through the crowd of “congratulations!” and “king donghyuck, your majesty!” he sets off to search for jaemin in the corridors around the ballroom.

he finally catches a glimpse of a silver head and makes a beeline to it. jaemin hears the footsteps and turns, but doesn’t get to speak before donghyuck brings their lips together. caught off guard, he gasps, but melts into the touch immediately. he pulls away after a moment. “i take it you liked the ring?” he chuckles. donghyuck grins, turning to see the star speckled sky through the window. “it’s beautiful. didn’t feel like just a talisman. i almost put it on my ring finger, you know.” jaemin takes his hand and angles it so that the moonlight reflects off the emeralds. “hmm. a talisman as a promise ring, but everybody thinks it’s just the former. i like it.” donghyuck’s breath hitches. he looks at jaemin, who has let go of his hand and is now looking outside. he watches how the soft light and shadows cover his face and how his eyes glitter with the light of the cosmos. “thank you,” he whispers. “oh, it really wasn’t too much-”

“no, that’s not what i mean. thank you for staying with me,” he looks down, taking a deep breath, “even when i can’t guarantee you anything. you could be out there doing anything you want with anyone, but you wait for me. so thank you.” jaemin tears his eyes from the sky to look at donghyuck. “of course. i’d wait forever for you,” he says, biting his lip. “but now that you’re king, do you think it’ll be easier for us or worse?” donghyuck thinks for a moment.

“i can imagine it’ll be easier, but you never know anymore. no matter what, we’ll get through it.” he pulls jaemin into a hug. “together.”

and as they stand under the moonlight, they avoid thinking of what could go wrong; because right now, it’s just the two of them. it’s jaemin and donghyuck against the world. 

**Author's Note:**

> twitter - ykkuri!


End file.
